Tag: Death
-
The Car Park Grave of Mary Ellis
Beneath the tarmac of Loews Theater car park in New Brunswick lie the remains of Mary Ellis. For the last 193 years, she has occupied…
-
The Weirdest Epitaph in America: Sterling Hallard Bright Drake
“‘An idealist and a dreamer, he died of loneliness and a broken heart, searching for a shrine he never found.”
-
Going Out in Style! Ghana’s Fantasy Coffins
Fantasy, figurative or proverbial coffins (abebuu adekai), are unusual, transient memorials, being elaborate representations of the deceased’s interests, dreams and achievements.
-
“I did not give them willingly”: The Friesthorpe Window
A small rural church in Friesthorpe, Lincolnshire holds one of the most poignant memorials to the sacrifices of war in the form of a beautiful…
-
Ye Olde Eco-Burial: The Trapdoor Coffin
In the 16th and 17th centuries, plenty of rural parishes in Scotland utilised a communal coffin of sorts called a ‘common mortkist’, ‘bier’ or ‘parish…
-
The Tiny Grave of Tom Thumb
According to local legend, the Tom Thumb of Tattershall measured just over 18 inches tall and had reached the grand old age of 101 upon…
-
Nanette Stocker, the Smallest Woman in the Kingdom
Nanette (incorrectly recorded as ‘Nanetta’ on her stone) is a forgotten music hall star and little person who died with a huge following.
-
Two Towers and an Eccentric Priest: Booton St Michael
Lying in such an isolated place, Booton St Michael has come to be known as ‘the cathedral of the fields’.
-
Death Cheese: A Short History
In life, three things are for certain: Birth, Death and Cheese. The greatest of these is cheese.
-
Birdcage Walk: Remnants of a Bombed Churchyard
While the church is long gone, its churchyard remains, with tombs and monuments hidden behind metal railings and overgrown bushes. Although the site seems closed…
-
Bornstedt Cemetery, Potsdam
‘What dies in Sanssouci will be buried in Bornstedt.’
-
Hudds, Huds and Hudes: Graveside Shelters of Yesteryear
Shelters may seem to have been a rather excessive addition to the world of ecclesiastical furniture, after all; what’s a little rain between a vicar…
-
A Day at Southampton Old Cemetery
Southampton Old Cemetery is a historical site, a nature reserve, a place for tours and relaxation. Its also a place to dodge dog poo by…
-
5 ‘Real’ Christmas Ghost Stories
Read on for 5 ‘real’ ghost stories from the festive season. From ghost pigs to undead highwayman, local legends cover it all…
-
Tudor Effigies and Memento Mori at Snarford
When visiting the church and circling these monuments, it seems a miracle there was ever any room for religious services…
-
Monuments and Medieval Minstrels at Beverley Minster
At the heart of the community lies Beverley Minster; an enormous, gleaming monolith surrounded by little rows of houses, tightly packed like rows of teeth.
-
Stacked Headstones and Forgotten Burials : St Mary’s Old Cemetery, Louth
Nestled between a small car park and a bridge over the river Lud, sits an old, sparse burial ground, dating back to the 13th Century.
-
More Adventures in Highgate East!
Between pianos, dogs, and enormous mausoleums, cemeteries such as Highgate hold thousands of stories and works of art around every corner.
-
Jay’s Mourning Warehouse
Due to the superstition of not holding mourning clothing in the household for longer than necessary, when a death occurred, you needed to act fast…
-
Hoddesdon Cemetery: Table Tombs and Chapels for Ants
Hoddesdon cemetery is much like any other cemetery close to the capital. Sitting in Hertfordshire in the home counties, Hoddesdon cemetery is flanked by trees,…
-
The Yew: Tree of the Dead
While flora and fauna in cemeteries is a fascinating topic of its own, today’s post will just be focusing on one. The granddaddy of all…
-
Timothy Clark Smith: The Grave With a Window
Instead of considering glass coffins and mausoleums, physician Timothy Clark Smith had rather more practical ideas…
-
Poppyland – Churchyard Treats in the Heart of Norfolk
When travelling through the Norfolk countryside, if you were to stop at every church you passed, you’d be forced to invest in property and inform…
-
St Swithin’s Day
The 15thof July, St Swithin’s Day. The day when we celebrate our favourite historical Bishop of Winchester and plan our umbrella usage for the next…
-
Grieving Angels and Tudor Tragedies at St Andrew’s Church, Blickling.
However, in my experience, I have found so many of these tiny parish churches filled to the rafters with historical artefacts, sculptures, artwork and more…
-
Victorian Iron Mummies: The Fisk Casket
Fisk’s patent explains that ‘the air maybe exhausted so completely as entirely to prevent the decay of the contained body on principles well understood; or,…
-
Quaker Burial Grounds and City Centre Hermits
Beside the towering shadow of Bristol’s St Mary Redcliffe church, sits an unassuming patch of grass, surrounded by trees and overlooked by an impressively unchanged…
-
Nottingham Rock Cemetery and the Doubtful Catacombs of Robin Hood
…this large pit can be seen from above as a 20ft sheer drop, and a health and safety nightmare. Previously, this hollow was open to…
-
In Praise of Death Stationery
Memorial cards were often one of the first indicators of grief and one of the last reminders…
-
Introducing Immortelles
Plastic flowers may last longer, but discolour and weather over time and similarly must be replaced. However, Victorian ‘Immortelles’ (from the French word for ‘everlasting’)…
Burials & Beyond 